Pontus of the Deep Sea
by Jade Ocean
Summary: My very own version of Poseidon. Ever seen it? Pls r & r!
1. Aboard the Pontus

**Pontus**

Alyssa Bloom blinked her eyes open and yawned, leisurely stretching out her long limbs and sitting upright on her large queen-sized bed. She massaged her temple and gingerly rubbed her eyelids. Suddenly, her arms dropped to her side and her eyes shot wide open. Alyssa spun hastily around trying to focus on her bright blue alarm clock. It read: 7:45 p.m. She smacked a slender hand to her forehead, groaning.

"Where are those two brothers of mine?" she muttered, rising out of bed and hurriedly looking for her hairbrush. She spotted it lying on her vanity table and hastened to it. Having picked it up, she brushed her shoulder-length black hair and pulled it neatly up into an attractive ponytail. Side bangs completed the look. Alyssa took a seat on her comfy chair and did her makeup in front of the face mirror.

Pink lip-gloss, black mascara, black eyeliner, light blue eye shadow, and a small spritz of perfume completed the look. She looked down and scrutinized her appearance. She slid out of her t-shirt and baggy beige capris and replaced them with a knee-length jean skirt and a blue halter top. She also put on her favorite long diamond earrings, two silver rings with rubies on each hand, matching blue layered necklaces, and her silver watch. Alyssa checked herself over again in front of her full-length mirror. "Not bad," she thought to herself, admiring her jewelry. She slipped into silver sandals and heard them click as she walked down the stairs to the main floor of their room. "Being on a cruise ship sometimes makes me sick," she complained to herself, after having been swept to the right and then to the left as the ship kept moving.

"Alyssa!! You finally awake…we was waiting for you for a _whole_ hour!!" seven-year-old Evan exclaimed as he saw his older sister emerge from behind the staircase.

Alyssa smiled at her brother. "Yeah, I'm awake. Sorry for making you wait, little bro."

"Well, since Lys is up, can we go to the big New Year's Party for kids upstairs now? I'm tired of staying in here….it's _sooooo_ boring," ten-year-old Lucas grumbled, his short arms crossed over his chest.

Alyssa ruffled her two brother's brown hair and chuckled. "Sure, let's go. You guys look dressy enough for a party. Well, it IS just a kid's party. Ok, come on; let's head for the party."

With that, Lucas jumped up from his comfortable seat on the leather couch and practically raced to the elevator. He pressed the "up" button and waited impatiently for the door to open. Two minutes later, the elevator doors opened. He walked in and waited for his brother and sister to get in. When they did, he pressed the "8" button and clapped his hands excitedly. "There's gonna be so much food, Evan!! And there'll be video games, dancing, paintball wars, EVERYTHING!! I can't wait!!"

At last, the elevator reached its destination. As soon as the doors opened to let them out, Lucas, followed by Evan, shot through like a rocket in search for the big party that was held on that floor. They were greeted by loud music blaring from speakers, big bright balloons, and confetti.

Alyssa giggled at the happy expression on her brother's face. Then her smile faltered. "If only Daddy and Mama could be here…then this would be the best New Year's," she reflected, twisting the silver ring on her third left finger absent-mindedly. She broke out of her trance when she felt someone tugging her jean skirt. She looked down to meet the adorable bright sea-green eyes of her youngest brother. She was still amazed at how much the Bloom kids resembled each other. They each had wavy black hair, slender noses, pink lips, and sea-green eyes. Not wanting to ignore her brother, she smiled at Evan and asked, "What do you want?"

Evan shrugged his thin shoulders and said, "I wanna go to the big people's party. Can't we just leave Lucas? He's big boy now." He sent her a mischievous grin.

"Nice try, honey, but we have to stick together. This ship is bigger than any other ship we've ever been on so I have to keep an eye on both of you or something bad might happen when I'm not looking," Alyssa explained, taking hold of Evan's hand as they made their way around.

"Please, Lys? Can we go upstairs?" Evan pleaded, his lower lip trembling.

Alyssa sighed and nodded. "Okay, but first let's find Lucas. If we have to drag him to the "big people's party on the next level," so be it," she smirked.

Evan laughed. "Okay," he agreed.

* * *

Aaron Karalis moaned softly. Was this day gonna get any worse? He was the son of one of the richest men in all of Greece, which meant he had to be an example of a perfect son, or his father would disown him, and then of course, he _already_ inherited his father's business because his father retired, which made him into a workaholic, and after that, he was forced to go on this dreaded cruise ship because of the reason that he _was_ a workaholic, and now this. He had to go to the New Year's Party on the 9th floor, just because the Mayor invited him. He didn't want to go. He wanted to stay in his suite and watch TV or work on some computer files that needed to be done before the cruise was over. But _no_, Father forced him to go on this trip. What did he say again to persuade him? Oh, yes, _"You work too hard. Ever since you inherited my business, all you do is work. Why don't you take a break?" _Aaron sighed. "Sometimes I wish I was poor," he thought grimly to himself. Then he sighed again. "I'd better make myself presentable before I head down to the party to meet the Mayor, oh…and his _daughter"_…with that, he moaned again, only this time, it was a loud mournful sound…

* * *

"Isn't it beautiful, Chris?" Jennifer Ramsey took in all the fancy lights, balloons, long tables piled high with buffet food, and then turned to her fiancée.

Christian Jameson nodded his blond head, staring deeply into her pretty blue eyes. "Way gorgeous, Jen…" he murmured, caressing her hand that was on the crook of his arm.

Jen hummed. "I _was_ talking about the scenery, sweetie," she joked.

Chris grinned. "Yeah? Well, so was I."

Jen nodded, then arched her eyebrow as she noticed someone very familiar making his way to them. Her eyes grew wide as she saw the tall, dark, and handsome figure of her dad. "Oh, boy…" she muttered under her breath, "He doesn't look too happy…"

She felt Chris stiffen beside her and she gave him an encouraging smile.

Christian just smiled back nervously.

Her father and Christian never really clicked. Her father thought that Chris was just a tad too wild. Chris, on the other hand, thought Mr. Ramsey was way too strict. This cruise was one of Jen's crazy ideas to try and pull the family together. Jen's mother died a few years ago, leaving Jen and Robert (her father) all alone. Robert was always away on business trip leaving Jen t home in the hands of a nanny. Although Jen loved her father a lot, she often wished that he could've been there to see her grow up. "This'll work…trust me, it'll work," she repeated over and over again in her mind, "please work…"

* * *

"Mr. Jeffrey Wiggins, I welcome you to the board! Please make yourself comfortable. We have a lot to discuss," Mr. Whitman said kindly, "We thank you so much for your generous contribution to help our company serve its purposes."

Fifty-one-year-old Jeffrey Wiggins just nodded his head, full of white hair, and made himself comfortable. "This is gonna be a long night…" he guessed, taking a small sip of his drink, "A very long night…"

* * *

"Elena! Get to work, girl! You have no reason to just lie around like a princess when there's work to be done!! Get up and go serve this food to table number 55. GO!!" the chef practically screamed in Elena's ear.

Fourteen-year-old Elena Santiago immediately obeyed and scampered out of the large kitchen and swiftly dodged the other tables until she reached table 55. After having served everyone their meals, she quickly jogged back the kitchen and watched quietly in her dark corner as everyone else hurried about, trying to cook food and such.

"I wish I was back home in Mexico. I wish papa didn't send me here to get a better life. I wish I was with mama, Chiko, Pippa, Marco, and Joy. I wish I never came on this cruise ship," she whispered to herself, "I wish I could die right now."

* * *

I hope you liked it. This is the first chapter of "Pontus". "Pontus" means "god of the deep sea." Thus the cruise ship and, you know, whatever. Anyways, this story is almost like "Poseidon," just a little more of a twist. Hope you enjoy it, and stay tuned for the next chapter!! I'm working on it!!!! 

Stay sweet,

Jade Ocean


	2. Meeting New People

**Pontus**

**Part Two**

Alyssa shot daggers at her younger brother after having watched a slimy trail of bright orange juice slide down her blue top. She had come up from behind Lucas as he was taking a thirsty gulp of his drink. She calmly placed a hand on his shoulder and he freaked out, spilling his drink everywhere, including his sister's shirt.

Lucas innocently smiled back at her. "It was an _accident_, Lys. Besides, _you_ were the one who snuck up from behind me," he protested, hiding a big grin behind his cup as he took another small sip of a new cup of freshly squeezed orange juice.

Alyssa scowled angrily at him. "Well, thanks to you, my shirt is now ruined. I have to run upstairs and change. You two better behave while I'm gone. Don't wander out of this room, understand?"

Lucas nodded, shooting a sly glance at his brother.

Evan followed Lucas' example and nodded his head.

As soon as Alyssa disappeared from view, Lucas whirled around to face his brother. "Let's blow this pop stand, Evan. This kid party's getting' dull. Why don't we go to the teenager's party up on the next level?"

Instantly, Evan's eyes lit up. "I was just askin' Alyssa if we could go to that party instead. This one's purty boring'." He looked around at all the three, four, five-year-olds running everywhere like crazy. Before he could say anything more, Lucas grabbed his left hand and dragged him to the stairs.

"Why are we goin' up the stairs, Lucas?" he asked, puzzled.

"Because then Alyssa wouldn't be able to see us, silly," retorted Lucas, rolling his eyes.

Evan giggled. "You is sooooo smart, Lu. I'm glad you is my brother."

They scampered as quickly as they could up the stairs to the next level where they were welcomed by even _louder _music blaring from gigantic speakers, _longer_ tables of buffet foods, and many couples out dancing and having a good time on the dance floor.

Evan took it all in, staring and admiring all the fancy lights that must have took a long time to set up.

On the other hand, Lucas didn't care about scenery and headed straight for the buffet tables.

Evan broke out of his stupor and realized his brother wasn't standing with him. "Lu!! Lucas!! Where are youuuuu???" he droned, his eyes searching for a familiar black-haired kid. After a few minutes of searching, he gave up and decided to go dancing. With a goofy grin on his face, he made his way to the dance floor to go show off his "moves."

* * *

"That Lucas is way too much," Alyssa mumbled to herself as she changed into a black sparkly tube top with a pretty white half-sweater. She checked her make-up one last time before exiting her room and heading back to the party downstairs. She wasn't paying attention and barely made it to the elevator when she bumped into something, er, _someone_. She fell backwards with a small groan and landed roughly on her bum. She winced. However, she did look up to see a hand held out to her. She grasped the hand and pulled herself up.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, miss," a deep masculine voice said above her, "I wasn't paying attention to where I was going."

Alyssa's sea-green eyes clashed with steel blue. Her eyes widened as she stared at him. He was the handsomest man she had ever seen in her entire life. "Broad shoulders, narrow waist, long muscular legs," she blushed, and then noted as she examined his face, "Beautiful steel blue eyes, fringed with long dark eyelashes, a slender, straight nose, kissable lips, all wonderfully framed by wavy dark brown hair, styled very nicely, with a lock of hair drooping over his right eye."

The man cleared his throat.

Alyssa broke out of her daze and started blushing a deep pink. "I'm…uh, very sorry, sir, I didn't mean, to um, to stare at you, cause, um, well, you're very…" her voice faltered as her gaze drooped to the floor.

"Apology accepted, miss…?" he grinned, that famous "Karalis" grin.

Alyssa's head shot up and she replied, with all the dignity she could muster in this awkward situation, "My name is Alyssa Bloom, sir."

"Please, call me Aaron, you know, instead of "sir." It makes me feel like I'm my father," Aaron teased. He was starting to like this girl very much. She had a great sense of humor. Something that was really hard to find in women nowadays.

Her blush deepened, and she stammered, "Yes, sir-er, I mean, um, Aaron."

Aaron laughed. After he composed himself, he asked her, "Where you headed?"

"Oh, uh, to ummmm…the, uh, you know, to the …" she hesitated, waving an arm to her left where the elevator doors were wide open.

Aaron chuckled but said seriously, "Take your time, it'll come to ya." Then he smirked teasingly at her.

Alyssa felt her face turn the color of ripe tomatoes. He was making fun of her!!! How...cute. "Man, I must' a fallen for him harder than I thought. He's making fun of me and I think that's cute? Sheesh!! Have I got it bad for him or what?" she contemplated in her mind. She giggled when he waved both of his hands in front of her face.

"So, anyways, back to the point…where are you going?" He said, ever so slowly, as if trying to annoy her.

Alyssa took a deep breath and replied, "I was going to the party, you know, the kids' party on the main floor. I have to, uh, pick up my two little brothers, because they want to go to the big people's party on the next floor, so yeah, um…"

"She's very cute when she's nervous," he thought silently, watching her.

"…I should go and get them now…" she finished. Her face flushed as he studied her. She quickly said, "Well, it was a pleasure meeting you, si-Aaron, um, see ya around." With that, she ran towards the elevator and paused just a moment to glance at him one last time. Then she pressed the "Close" button and patiently waited for the doors to close. She breathed out a sigh of relief after she pressed the "8th" button. She closed her eyes for a few minutes while wondering to see if her two brothers actually obeyed her or if they ran off somewhere, heading for trouble. "Guess I'll just have to find out now, won't I?" she said with an amused smile.

* * *

"That was quite an experience. Such a pretty girl," Aaron mused, as he entered into the large ballroom, where couples were dancing happily on the dance floor to Fergie's singing one of her solos, people were flocking at the buffet tables, others were talking to each other, and few were playing several card games on empty tables. After Alyssa had hurriedly deserted him, he figured he could just jog down the stairs and still be able to meet the Mayor and his daughter without being much too late. He glanced down at his gold watch and was amazed to see that he was only 3 minutes late. He looked up when he heard someone call out his name. He shifted his eyes in the direction of the voice and focused on a short stuffy bearded man in a navy blue suit escorted by a beautiful blond-haired lady in a tight gold backless floor-length dress walking towards him.

"My dear boy, so glad that you came. May I introduce my daughter to you?" Mayor Thorn greeted, shaking Aaron's outstretched hand. He wrapped a short stubby arm around his daughter's slender ones and said, "This is my only daughter, Amanda Mai Thorn. She's nineteen years old and what a beauty! She must' a gotten it from her mother, I tell ya!" He chuckled.

Aaron laughed and politely kissed the hand that Amanda gave him. "Pleasure to meet you, Miss Amanda," he drawled, earning him a dazzlingly smile.

"Please call me Mandy. I _despise _being called Amanda…such a tacky name, isn't it? Mandy seems more trendy, isn't that right, Daddykins?" Mandy purred to her father, who was talking to another important person.

Mayor Thorn shot his daughter a look and she sneered at him. "Why in the dang world did you name me _Amanda_, Daddy? Mother wanted to name me Diamond because she simply adores diamonds and she says that I was just the most attractive, lovable, charming baby she's ever seen. I wish you'd have listened to her…"

Aaron rolled his eyes. "Oh, boy, not another one of _those_ girls…"

* * *

Elena glanced behind her shoulder. "Hope no one sees me," she whispered to herself. She hastily sprinted from door to door, occasionally looking behind her to see if anyone noticed she was trying to sneak away. After having changed into normal clothes instead of her waiter uniform, she quietly escaped through the back door of the kitchen, heading for the second floor where she'd overheard that there was a New Year's Party for teenagers being held. She darted into the hallways and froze in her tracks when she heard someone say behind her, "What are you doing?"

* * *

Hey, how's it going? Finally finished the second chapter of "Pontus of the Deep Sea." Sry that it's coming along slow. I'm really busy doing schoolwork and my job and all that so, pls be patient with me. I'm _sooooo_ into this story. I think it's my most favorite story that I've done. Anyways, enjoy!

Stay sweet,

Jade Ocean


	3. What?

**Pontus**

**Part Three**

Hello how's everyone? Anyways, I got a review from a very nice person that asked me to explain who everyone is, so here's the list of people and who they are and what the "hey" (Sorry, I don't swear) they're doing in my story:

**Main Characters**

**Alyssa Bloom** – Her and her two brothers, **Lucas** (10) and **Evan** (7), have gone on a trip to the Bahamas for her best friend's wedding. (Her best friend is a few years older than she is.) So, this story is about the trip going _back_ home. Home is in California where her parents currently are. They didn't go to the wedding due to work purposes, ya know what I mean! To tell you the truth, **Alyssa** and her brothers actually portray _Maggie_ and _Connor James_; you know the mom and kid on the movie "Poseidon." So instead of a mom and her son, I made a teenage sister and two younger brothers do that part. Good! You're getting' it! Hmmm, yeah…anyways, _moving on_…

**Aaron Karalis** - He's the cute handsome type of guy that would sweep you off your feet. sigh He's perfect… ahem Sorry 'bout that. Gettin' carried away…sweatdrop Ok, anyhow, he's kinda like _Dylan Johns_. The reason he's on this trip is because his father forced him to. If you read the first chapter again, you'd probably recall. You know, the really "cool" guy that helps everyone escape. (You probably already knew it but yes, **Aaron** and **Alyssa** are going to hook up in the end. I'm a sucker for romance stories. But let's not get ahead of ourselves, that's later in the story.) Why don't we move to the next person?

**Jeffrey Wiggins** – Now, you must know who he is. He's the rich dude that bought the (I think) $5,000.00 bottle of wine. _Richard Nelson_ is his name! Naw, I'm just teasin' ya. Well scratches head thoughtfully they are _almost_ one and the same. **Jeffrey** is rich, too _and_ he also has white hair, just like _Nelson_. LOL…I just changed the name, ya know. He's on the ship because of the fact that he's tired of working and wants a relaxing vacation. Boy, did he pick the wrong cruise ship to do that!!DUH But I do like the thought that someone as old as **Jeffrey** (who by the way, is fifty-one-years-old) can survive something as dangerous and extremely exciting, not to mention freaky (but to the point) and live to tell the story!!!!

**Robert Ramsey, Jennifer Ramsey, and Christian Jameson** – **Robert** is the typical dad who loves his baby girl too much to part with her; **Jennifer**, the charming beautiful daughter who wants her protective father to learn how to let _go_ of his baby girl; and **Christian**, well, he's just the "boyfriend." (Jen's mother died when she was a little girl.) Anyhow, they decided to take a holiday together to try and unite the family since everyone knows; **Jen** and **Chris** are "engaged." We'll simply see how this all works out now, won't we? We'll just have to wait and find out if **Robert** will actually let them go through with their wedding that will be held in London where **Jen** was born and raised _and _where she met **Chris**. Note: They are the only characters (besides **Elena**) that are exactly the same people as in "Poseidon."

**Elena Santiago** – She is a fourteen-year-old girl that was sold by her papa who lives in Mexico with the rest of the family. Because they were so poor, they sold her to a Caucasian lady who works on a cruise ship, thus _this_ cruise ship. The Caucasian lady is never mentioned in the story because she…well, actually, I don't even know _why_ I never mentioned her. Hmm…that's weird. Whateva, anyways maybe later in the story, she will be mentioned, ok? Stay tuned!!

Ok, that's the end of my explanation of the characters. I promise that if I add new people in my story, they will be posted on top in order for you to get to know them so that you won't be confused, ok? Thanks for dropping by!! Happy Reading!!!

* * *

Elena swallowed the lump in her throat and slowly turned around. She almost let out a squeal of relief when she saw a little boy of about seven or eight staring at her intently with a blue lollipop in his mouth (His lips were blue, lol.) "Uh, I'm not doing anything." She quickly changed the subject. "Where are your parents, kid?" she asked softly, trying not to frighten him.

Evan pulled the lollipop out of his mouth for one second to reply, "They not here," then stuck it back in again.

Elena stared curiously at him, "Why not?"

Evan's lollipop popped out of his mouth again and he answered smartly, "They back home in Ca'fornia. I'm with my sister!" Then he looked around and added, "Though I not know where she is…"

Having glanced behind her shoulder one last time to see if anyone was watching them, Elena then focused her attention on the little boy. "Why don't we go and find her?" She shyly took his hand and started walking towards the stairs.

Evan nodded, stuck the lollipop back into his mouth, and started sucking on it.

Elena couldn't help but giggle at the cute little boy whose hand she was holding. She smiled and whistled a happy tune as she and Evan climbed the stairs to look for his sister.

* * *

"I need to take a breath of fresh air…now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go on the deck for a while," Jeffrey groaned, rising from his comfortable spot on the chair, to his companions who were all contentedly lounging on leather couches. Everyone nodded their head politely and continued on with their conversations.

Jeffrey placed his crystal glass on the coffee table and made his way out of the room. He scratched the back of his white head after he opened the glass doors to the deck and intently examined the beautiful sea that lay before him "Such a magnificent view, even at night," he said breathlessly, awed at the wondrous sight.

He closed his eyes for a moment and just continued to breathe in and out peacefully. When he heard a voice call out to him, he opened both eyes and glanced down at his intruders. It was a little boy with a goofy grin on his adorable face and a teenage girl that looked like she was a Mexican.

"Hey, aren't you supposed to be inside at this time?" he questioned them gruffly, but with a mischievous twinkle in his kind green eyes.

"Oh. Uh, we were, um, we were just looking for someone. We, uh, decided to go out onto the deck so we can, um, see the water. It's so pretty," Elena explained and then sighed happily, "I've never seen anything so beautiful."

Jeffrey chuckled. "It is very pretty, isn't it?" he agreed.

"Have you seen my sister?" Evan demanded, his eyebrows knit together as he now wore a frown on his face.

"No, sorry. I don't even know her."

Evan's face relaxed into a small smile. "I kinda' thought that." He looked up to meet the kind eyes of the older man and noted how he looked a lot like his own grandpa.

* * *

"Where's Evan, Lucas? Why didn't you watch him like I told you to?? Lucas! This ship is humongous! How in the world will we find him? ARGH! I-I can't believe you-you LOST Evan!!" Alyssa shrieked, her hands covering her face, "Who knows where he could be right now? Lucas! Mom and Dad will kill me…"

Lucas cleared his throat awkwardly. "I'm sorry?"

"I'm sooo mad at you right now, Lucas! I don't even wanna talk to you! For Heaven's sake, Evan's only 7! What if someone kidnapped him or threw him over the edge or hurt him or-"

Lucas put an arm around his sister's shaking shoulders. "I'm really sorry, Lys. I was just super hungry and then the second I turned around, he was gone…Why don't we go and look for him right now?"

"Oh my gosh, my baby brother is all by himself! What if he's hurt and bleeding right now? What if…" scary thoughts and questions roused in Alyssa's already frazzled mind.

Lucas glanced up at his sister's swollen red eyes. "Why are you so worried, Lys? I bet somebody already found him and probably took him to the captain to report a missing child."

"You think so?"

"I, um, I _hope_ so…"

Alyssa let out a tiny giggle. She wiped the tears off her face with the back of her hand and sniffed. "I'm sorry for yelling at you. I'm just, you know, really, really, _really_, worried. But I have a feeling you're right. Someone must'a found him, I mean, you know, they wouldn't, you know, um, they would definitely report a missing kid and then, um, you, uh, know what I mean, right…?"

Lucas rolled his eyes. "Yea, I gets."

Alyssa sighed. "Okay, we should first of all check with the captain. Maybe Evan's there waiting for us to pick him up." She swiftly spun on her heel, with Lucas struggling to keep up with her.

But as they continued to dodge people here and there, Alyssa managed to actually ram into someone. She glanced up, embarrassed. Her mouth formed an "O" when she saw who it was.

Aaron grinned. "It's you again. How come you're always the one running into me? Don't I get a turn?"

Alyssa flushed. "I'm sorry."

He laughed. "Hey, it's no problem. I happen to _love_ pretty girls who run into me…" he winked.

Alyssa giggled, feeling her face grow warm. Suddenly, her gaze fell on the hand tugging her blouse. "Oh, sorry. Um, Lucas, this is Aaron. We met somewhere near the elevator. And Aaron, this is one of my two brothers, Lucas." She beamed when they shook hands.

"So, uh, where you guys headed? It seemed to me that you're trying to get out of here," Aaron remarked slyly.

Lucas nodded his head, explaining. "We kinda lost our little brother so we, um, we're going to go and look for him."

Aaron coughed, disguised as a laugh. "How did you "lose" him?"

Alyssa's chin hitched up a notch. "Hey, we didn't "lose" him, buddy. Evan sort'a…um, he like, ran off without telling me or Lucas where he was going."

Aaron smiled secretly, and then offered, "I'll help you look for him. I'm a little bored of this party anyways."

Alyssa's heart soared. "He's sooooo cute…" she thought dreamily, then snapped to attention as Lucas grabbed her hand, pulling her through the crowd; Aaron following behind them. "Oh, please, let us find Evan safe and sound, please, oh, please…"

* * *

"Oh daddy, what's the matter with you? Could you stop being so rude to Chris? " Jen fumed, with a British accent, staring irritably across the table at her father.

You see, they were _trying_ to have a nice family dinner at the party, but Robert kept insulting and making offending comments about and _to _Chris.

Robert sneered at his daughter. "What else can I do?"

"You can stop talking, for instance," retorted Jen, her arms crossed over her chest. She looked over at Chris whose face was red. She gently patted his hand then glanced back over to her father who was taking a sip of his drink.

"Honestly, Jen, sweetheart. Why in the dang world did you pick such an unstable, wild, carefree, I-don't-care-about-anything-but-myself, man like _him_?" Robert replied with a heavy British accent, pointing an accusing finger at Chris.

Chris turned an even brighter shade of red. Anymore redder and he'll create a new color!

Jen flashed furious eyes at her father. "How dare you! Stop this instant! I cannot believe how terribly _rude_, _intolerable_, _abhorrent_, _loathsome_, and _utterly despicable_ you have been tonight! I love Chris…why can't you understand that?" she sniffed and whispered in a gentler tone, "I love him, daddy…I really do…"

Robert groaned, hating himself for making his daughter cry. "I'm sorry, Jen, darling, alright? Look, I _bloody _know I haven't been the greatest father in the world, I mean, leaving you behind whenever I left on trips to New York, Africa, Chicago, and everywhere else I go, and I'm begging your forgiveness about that, but you must try and _bloody_ understand me! I rarely get to see you, love, and when I do have the chance to do just that, you're all grown up and getting' married, for Heaven's sake! Jen, my darling daughter, I missed your childhood. When your mother died, I-I didn't know what to do with myself. I felt-"

"I've already heard this story a million times, daddy. _I forgive you_. Please, really I do. I love you more than anything in the world, but now there's someone else I love, too. Even though I love Chris a lot, that doesn't take away any of my love for you. You are my family, daddy. It would kill me to lose you…but I'm asking you to please, _please_, give us your blessing. Or you're breaking your daughter's heart…" Jen murmured tenderly, placing her hand on top of her father's.

Chris put an arm around her slender shoulders, giving her moral support.

Jen shot him a grateful look.

Robert sighed, scrubbing a hand over his tired face. "Leave me be for a few days. Jen, I need time to-to _adjust_, alright? I _bloody_ know that I have to say "yes" in the end, but give me a moment's rest, understood?" With that, he rose from his chair and bent over to give his daughter a soft kiss on the forehead. He gave Chris an apologetic smile.

Chris just nodded, accepting the unspoken apology.

Jen let out a tiny breath of air as she watched her father saunter over to the buffet table.

Chris squeezed her shoulders gently. "It'll be okay, Jen. Just leave him alone. He'll get used to the idea. He'll be alright."

Jen managed a tight smile. "I hope so, Chris. I really hope so…"

* * *

Hey! Waz up, everyone? I'm terribly sorry that it took FOREVER for me to post this. I've just been _really, really, really, really_ busy lately. But I'm working on the next chapter so maybe by the end of this week; there'll be another one posted, ok? I hope you've enjoyed it so far. It's challenging, if I do say so myself. Oh, please NO FLAMES! I love this story and if you think it sucks, then pls just don't bother with it, ok? Honestly, this is my most FAVORITE story so far, so pls, I repeat NO FLAMES…DON'T LIKE, DON'T READ!! Ok, um, well, I better get going. Stay tuned for the next chapter. Coming to website near you!!! LOL!!! Thanks for stopping by! Adios!

Stay sweet,

Jade Ocean


	4. Trouble Over the Horizon

**Pontus**

**Part Four**

How's everyone this fine beautiful day? Good, I hope. Ok, well, here's the next chapter. I hope you like it and I'm terribly sorry that it took me such a _looooooong_ time to update. I've just been really busy, but don't worry, I'm working on the next chapter already so it'll be posted soon, _I hope_…ok, enjoy!

SUMMARY: This is a quick overview of the ship. Don't worry, I have been on a cruise ship before so I know what I'm doing…_lol_. It's literally making me go crazy, so I have to describe it to you so that you won't get confused later on. Anyways, I own the cruise ship **_because _**I didn't copy anybody else's cruise ship but my own (and I _did _make up so that's another reason; but I mean, I don't REALLY own a cruise ship bcuz they are like _mundo_ expensive, lol, but moving _on_) in this story so it will be designed MY way, ok? The cruise ship has ten floors, the first one on the bottom and the tenth on the top. (Actually, I think the way I made the floors is what sets my cruise ship apart from others.) Anyways, _hopefully_, it won't confuse you. The floors will be described and are as follows:

**Floor 1.**This is just a floor with lots of economy-class citizens' cabins to sleep in.**_ Below this floor is another floor although it's not counted as a floor because no one can go there except for the people who operate the ship. This place is where all the ship equipment and machinery are._**

**Floor 2. **There is nothing much to be said about this floor. It's just…a floor, I guess, with more rooms for people to bunk in.

**Floor 3. **This is the third floor where there are mostly cabins for people but also a game/arcade room for kids. Whoopee! Fun!

**Floor 4. **The fourth floor is just another floor where there are even _more_ cabins for people. Although, one thing to mention about Floor 4 is that starting with it, there are decks on every floor starting from Floor 4 to Floor 9. (Floor 10 is _all_ deck with a large swimming pool, YAY!!!…lol) One more thing to mention too, before I forget, is that this is where Jen, Chris, and Robert's cabins/rooms are located. And no, Jen and Chris don't share a room yet. Robert and Jen share a _large_ cabin/room (because they're rich enough to have a really big cabin/room like the Bloom kids) and Chris' cabin/room is just a few doors down, so they can still see each other... after midnight…(snickers) I'm so cruel. NOT. I'm kidding about the after midnight…really, I am…

**Floor 5. **This floor is where Alyssa, Lucas, and Evan's cabin/room is located. Since they are rich (lol) they have a really big cabin with an upstairs floor; thus the reason why Alyssa _walked down_ the stairs (f you can call to mind the first chapter). Also located on this floor is the ever-so-handsome, be-still-my-heart gorgeous man named Aaron Karalis from Greece. He is several cabins/rooms away from Alyssa's. And that's the reason why she bumped into him before going in the elevator. His cabin/room is also very large, like the Blooms'. I personally say it's too big for just one person. Oh, the 5th floor is for the rich and famous people; and that's why Alyssa and Aaron are there. The 4th floor is for rich people, too. That's also why Robert, Jen, and Chris are there. (LOL)

**Floor 6.** Nothin' on this floor but an adult night club, _several_ small shopping stores, and lots and _lotsa _elevators.

**Floor 7. **This is where Jeffrey Wiggins is having the meeting. This is also where, if you remember from chapter three, where Jeffrey met Elena and Evan. Elena and Evan have decided to go up to the top floor to look at the water. They had already searched the 5th floor for Alyssa but they couldn't find her so they decided to explore. They were walking along the 7th floor deck gazing out at the ocean when they saw Jeffrey taking a breath of fresh air. And they decided to talk to him. Although they are some cabins located on this floor, they're mostly for businessmen who are on this cruise by themselves.

**Floor 8. . **This is the 8th floor. In the first chapter, they had a kid's New Year's Party on this floor. This is where Alyssa, Lucas, & Evan went to. Got it? Ok, let's go to the second to the last floor.

**Floor 9. **This is the main floor. (DUH) This floor is where the Adult New Year's Eve Party was being held. This is where (if you recall) Jen, Chris, and Richard, are having a "family" dinner. And this is also the floor where the kitchens are located, where Evan ran off to find his brother, and where Lucas ate all the food from the buffet tables. (LOL) This floor is also where Elena was caught by Evan. They decided to go look for Alyssa. They met up with Jeffrey on the 7th floor. So, um…did I leave anything out?

**Floor 10**. This is where the café is found (_inside_ the first floor). Really good food! This floor is where breakfast is served every morning. On the outside of this floor is the deck where the big humongous swimming pool is found. There are numerous beach chairs and large tables are set up for people to relax and eat at. (Also located on this part of the ship is the captain's control room). Even more, this is also the place where one can go up to the second deck level, see the bow of the ship, and take breathtaking pics of the water. Below that second deck level is the place to play table tennis, basketball, or volleyball. How fun is that???

Ok, now that you have an explained detailed list of the ship, you are ready to continue on with the story. If you have any questions, please feel free to email me. I would kinda get confused myself so do what you like. Happy Reading!!

_Oh, and did I forget to mention? This scene takes place at night. So think of the beautiful moon and all those sparkling stars…because trust me; Alyssa, Lucas, Aaron, Evan, Jen, Robert, Elena, Jeffrey, Chris, and all those other people aboard the Pontus won't be thinking about the moon and stars in this chapter. _

* * *

"No, ma'am. I'm sorry. We _don't_ have a missing child that was reported. Are you sure he's even missing?" Captain Jack Stone smiled sympathetically at Alyssa.

Alyssa nodded wearily. She was tired of all the worrying she'd done and all her legs ached from the tiresome two-stair distance running she just did, all the while wearing a tight _jean_ skirt.

They had run up the stairs from the 8th floor to the 10th floor where the captain's control room was established. (The elevator had too many people in it.) As soon as they got there, she pounded on the large metal door until one of the sailors opened it, wide-eyed, gawking at them as if they were crazy. He stepped aside and let them in.

Lucas' face was red and he was breathing heavily.

Alyssa was breathing a little normally now but she was still a little pooped out. I mean, she ran two miles everyday to exercise, but what she just did, now _that_ was totally unexpected.

The only one of the group who looked as normal as one could possibly look was Aaron. He wasn't even breaking a sweat. His face was the same lightly tanned color and his breathing was normal. He smiled, showing off his perfect white teeth and explained, "I jog for three hours every morning back home. I'm used to it."

Alyssa and Lucas turned to look at each other, their eyes wide as saucers. "O" was all they could say.

When they had fully recovered, Alyssa got straight down to business. "Excuse me; are you _positive_ there wasn't a boy reported? He looks like this boy right here," she pointed at Lucas, and then added, "although just a little shorter. Because-"

The captain shook his head again. "I'm sorry, miss. There's no boy here. I'm certain that if someone does find him, they'll bring him here. Maybe one of the kitchen staff or my crew will see him and report him to me. If they do, I'll call for you, understand?"

Alyssa could only nod her head helplessly. "Ok, I understand, sir," she mumbled dejectedly.

After giving the captain her contact information and the cabin she was staying in, the little search party quietly filed out of the captain's control room and walked down the stairs slowly. No one knew what to say. They made their way back to the party on the first floor, hoping against hope that Evan had decided to return there. Slowly night began to cover the sky and all the twinkling stars came out all at once…as if giving them a warning.

* * *

"WOW! You hab _dat_ many cars? My mommy an' daddy only hab a few. That's sooooo cool!!" exclaimed Evan loudly, obviously impressed.

Jeffrey chuckled, amused. "Well, when you're a single old man with _lotsa_ money, what else would you spend it on?"

Elena giggled while Evan laughed.

A moment of silence followed after that as they all stared at the full moon and the wonderful but dark and almost threatening sea. It was as though the moon seemed to smile back at them.

Finally, "I think we'd better head back in. It's gettin' pretty dark out here. I'll help you young 'uns look for your sister," Jeffrey suggested, looking pointedly at Evan. He ran a hand through his thinning white hair and smiled.

"Ok! I think she's woweed cuz I been gone for a long time," Evan said guiltily, looking around.

Elena sighed and let her hair cover her face. "And I'll go back to the kitchen. No doubt they've missed me," she thought sarcastically.

"Come on then…" Jeffrey said as he started making his way back inside.

Elena followed obediently like a puppy after his master.

But Evan stayed behind. Nobody noticed his eyes go wide as saucers at what he saw. "_Is that a **big** tidal wave… or is that just me?"_

* * *

"Sir, I think you should have a look at this. Captain! We have an emergency!" one of the crew men shouted forcefully across the room where the captain was sitting contentedly playing cards on the table with a few of the men.

Immediately the captain stood up and walked over to the starboard and glanced down at the young man who was steering the ship. "What is it? I'm on a winning streak! Tell me what the emergency is all about then I can go beat Dodd and Emerson at poker over there."

"Sir, look outside. What-what _is_ it?" the young man's eyes grew wide with fear as he and the captain turned to look out the windows.

Captain Stone's face went deathly white. _A huge tidal wave was coming towards them!! _

"Sir? Sir? What do we do?"

All at once the other crew men stood up and were glancing out the glass at the scene before them. They all turned towards the captain and waited for his instructions.

He seemed to have recovered because his face hardened and he started yelling out orders. The ship was on its side so he knew that when it reached them, it would tip them over. He knew he needed to get the ship turned forwards if he wanted a chance for survival.

His men scrambled around trying to obey his every command as he shouted them out.

"Turn this ship forward!!! Inform everyone to go back to their cabins and put on their life vests!!! Full-throttle!!!! I will not endanger the lives of all these people on board!! Do you understand me? I don't think you do! DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?? Come on, men! Work faster!! I don't think any of you want to die out here where your bodies will never be found!!! Now turn this ship forward and let's see if we can't ride this wave out!!"

One of the men, John Emerson, flicked on the emergency announcement button and said slowly but clearly, _"Ladies and gentlemen, we don't wish to cause you any problems but we seem to have a major dilemma on our hands. A huge rogue wave is headed towards us and we would like for you all to cooperate so that we can overcome this. By orders of the captain, if you could kindly please…."_

* * *

"…_.make your way back into your cabins and put on your life vests…."_

"What's happening, Chris? Why is everyone running out like that?" Jen asked, glancing around at all the couples hurrying out of the room to go do as the captain asked.

Chris looked over his right shoulder and shrugged. He stood up and pulled his girlfriend up, too. "It looks like a good idea to me…" With that, he started to drag Jen out the room.

But Jen held firm. "What about my father? I have to go and get him. Stay here and I'll come back, ok?"

Chris gripped her arm firmly. "No, I'll come with you."

She looked up at him with a small smile on her face. "Thanks," she whispered as they made their way through the traffic of people in search for her father.

* * *

_"…We also ask that you don't panic. We are positive that we can make it through this if you all but just cooperate with us…."_

"Evan! Come on! There's a rogue wave headed our way and the captain said that we have to go back to our cabins. Jeffrey's gonna come with us! We gotta go back inside and get our life vests! Evan!" Elena shouted over all the loud noises.

"Look! Look over there, Elena! What is it? I've never seen a big wave before in my whole life! Don't it look cool?" Evan was grinning from ear to ear, as if seeing a tidal wave was something exciting and to look forward to.

Elena didn't care _how_ big it was. She yanked Evan by the arm and dragged him inside. She gritted her teeth and said angrily, "I said, "_'we have to go and get our life vests, ok_?"' And we're going to do just that! That wave is nothing to be impressed about! It could kill us; did _that_ ever cross your mind? Now come on!"

Evan's lower lip trembled as he watched Elena make her way up the stairs, trailing after Jeffrey. Nobody ever spoke so angrily to him before. He shrugged off his sad feelings and ran after her.

* * *

_"…We're trying to do all that we can. So try your best to hang in there and please, I beg of you**, please** don't panic. We have everything under control…"_

"Oh my goodness! What about Evan? I-I-we still haven't found him yet! Lucas!" Alyssa called for her brother; slumped to her knees; and then started to sob. This was _so_ wrong. What if they didn't make it?

Her brother was immediately beside her and pulled her up. There was a twinge of sadness in his voice. "Come on, we gotta go do what the captain said. Don't worry 'bout Evan. He's a smart kid…"

Alyssa didn't look to happy about being jerked to her feet but she looked down at him dully. "He's _seven_, Lucas. And we both know he's not a genius."

"Hey now…that's not a positive attitude. Someone's probably watching over him right now so please don't worry, Alyssa," Aaron soothed, putting his arm around her shaking shoulders.

Alyssa glanced up at him and shot him a stony glare. She carelessly shrugged off his arm and grasped her brother's right hand, pulling him in the direction of the elevator.

There was a puzzled look on Aaron's face as he scratched his head. "What I do?"

Suddenly, he felt the floor tremble and the glass around him shake…and then he was wildly thrown back against the wall, knocking him unconscious.

* * *

Thanks for reading. Hope you enjoyed it. Sorry it took so long. Cya later!

Stay sweet,

Jade Ocean


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